On May 12, 2014, Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander announced that the Canadian Government was taking action to make it faster and easier for Mexican visitors to come to Canada.  Under the new CAN+ Program, Mexican citizens who have traveled to Canada or the United States within the last 10 years will be eligible for expedited temporary resident visa (“TRV”) processing, although they will continue to require TRVs to enter Canada.

It is also hoped that, by fast-tracking a large number of applications, CAN+ will free up consular officers to work on other cases. As a result, the Canadian Government expects that the CAN+ Program will improve overall processing times for all Mexican travelers, who will see their visas processed in 10 days or less.

In addition to the CAN+ Program, Citizenship and Immigration Canada offers three expedited programs that help Mexican business people, tourist groups and students come to Canada faster:

1. Business Express expedites business travel from Mexico with visas issued within days with a near-perfect approval rate for those registered in the program.
2. Travel Express offers a fast, simplified visa application process for tourists who use travel agencies registered with the Canadian Embassy.
3. Mexican Student Pilot fast-tracks the processing of study permits with a near-perfect approval rate for those who study at participating Canadian educational institutions.